Grip exerciser



n 195 c. E. LONG 2,837,334

GRIP EXERCISER Filed Oct. 20. 1955 v 7 INVENTOR. BY

Quad, EMA

United States Patent GRIP EXERCISER Charles E. Long, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Reel-Safe, Inc., Waukesha, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application October 20, 1955, Serial No. 541,772

3 Claims. (Cl. 272-68) The invention relates to exercising appliances and more particularly to a hand grip for exercising the muscles of the hand and forearm and the tendons associated therewith.

The object of the invention is to provide a hand grip exerciser for use by athletes such as baseball, basketball, and football players, bowlers, boxers, wrestlers, golfers, handball and tennis players, and by invalids or convalescents, including a pair of easily assembled compression springs so that light, medium, or heavy springs to suit the users wishes may be used, these springs being arranged to carry the torsional loads set up by the natural twist of the hands while compressing them.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter described and more particularly defined b claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the exerciser in an operating position;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the central plane of the device;

Fig. 3 is a detailed sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 with the compression spring shown in full view.

Referring to the drawings, the exerciser includes a pair of hand grip members 4, a pair of compression springs 5, and means for holding said springs in assembled relation relative to said grip members.

Each grip member 4 is an elongated strip of wood, suitable plastic, or metal having an exterior hand grip formed outer surface 6 and a flat base 7 provided with a centrally located counterbore or recess 8 and spring seat recesses 9 adjacent its ends. The coil springs are 2 adapted to seat at their ends in the oppositely disposed recesses 9 of the hand grips 4.

For holding the springs 5 in assembled relation with the grip members 4, a screw eye 10 is centrally secured in each recess 8 to form anchorages for a light tension spring 11 whose initial loading is such that the members 4 are held against the ends of the springs with a tension suflicient to hold the ends of the springs 5 in the recesses 9. The mounting of this spring 11 on the members permits the ready swinging of one member relative to the other. It is a simple matter, however, to change the springs 5 so that either light, medium, or heavy springs may :be used. All that is necessary is to twist or angularly displace the grip members relative to each other and the springs will fall out.

With this device, the operator grasps the exerciser in his hand as shown in Fig. l and working against the tensions of the springs 5 squeezes the grip members 4 toward each other as far as he can and then releases his pressure on them. In squeezing, the torsional loads from the natural twisting of the members 4 by the hand in compressing the springs 5 will be accommodated by these springs.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a grip exerciser, the combination of a pair of hand grip members, a pair of compression springs arranged to bear on the inner sides of the end portions of said members, and freely flexible means for holding said members in assembled relation with said springs.

2. The grip exerciser as defined in claim 1, in which the freely flexible means for holding said members in assembled relation with said spn'ngs is a tension spring connected at its opposite ends to said members.

3. The grip exerciser as defined in claim 1, in which the freely flexible means for holding said members in assembled relation with said springs is a tension spring universally connected at its opposite ends to said members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 835,873 Thompson Nov. 13, 1906 1,796,216 Pettersson Mar. 10, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 196,482 Great Britain Apr. 26, 1923 

